Spring pressed toothbrush



March 11, 1952 A. E. ZAVAGNO SPRING PRESSED TOOTHBRUSH Filed Feb. 6, 1950 IN VEN TOR. A/fred E. Zavagna Patented Mar. 11, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SPRING PRESSED TOOTHBRUSH Alfred E. Zavagno, San Francisco, Calif.

Application February 6, 1950, Serial No. 142,589

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in tooth brushes and has particular reference to a tooth brush which will contact all surfaces of the teeth at one time, in contradistinction to the ordinary tooth brush wherein it is necessary to first brush the outside, then the crown of the teeth and then the inner surface of the teeth.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a brush having a plurality of dependent bristle-carrying members nexibly secured thereto.

A further object is to provide a tooth brush with independent members which are flexibly mounted so that they will give with the brushing action so as to enter all crevices and to provide for the arcuate shape of the teeth as a whole, thereby producing a tooth brush which will be comfortable and easy to use.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my brush,

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of Fig. 1, looking from the right of the drawing,

Fig. 3 is a top-plan view of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a bottom-plan view of Fig. 1,

*Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the manner in which my brush is used on the teeth, and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail cross-sectional view, taken on the line 66 of Fig. 3.

In the brushing of teeth, it has been customary to use a handle having a plurality of bristles extending therefrom and at one end thereof. These bristles are, in turn, rubbed over the teeth, as, for instance, first the outside of the teeth, then the top or crown of the teeth, and then the inner surface of the teeth. This operation requires considerable time and unless diligently performed, many portions of the teeth are missed.

Applicant has, therefore, devised a tooth brush having a. handle 5, which is provided with the usual bristles 6, and to the sides of the handle adjacent the bristles applicant has attached, through the medium of an inverted U-shaped central wire 1, a pair of brush holders 8 and 9. These brush holders have bristles, as shown at H and I2, respectively.

In order to keep these brush holders in substantially parallel position, a pair of spacer wires l3 and 14 extend through the end of the handle 5, and have their downturned ends positioned in slots I 6 and II respectively, formed in each of the brush holders.

The wires 13 and I4, may be slidable through the handle 5, if desired. I

The result of this construction is that, when the brush holders, together with the brush proper, are placed over the teeth, as shown in Fig. 5, and moved along the line of the teeth, the brush holders 8 and 9, will pivot about the downturned ends of the central wire "I, and will be held in substantially parallel alignment by the downturned ends of the wires l3 and I4. As these wires l3 and 14, have their ends positioned in slots l6 and II, it will be apparent that there can be a limited pivotal action, not otherwise possible if the brush holders 8 and 9 were rigidly attached to the wires l3 and I4.

It will thus be seen that I have produced a brush which will accomplish all the objects above set forth.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to Without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A tooth brush comprising a handle having bristles secured in one end thereof, a pair of opposed bristle holders pivotally mounted on opposite sides of said handle at a point adjacent said first-mentioned bristles and at a point beyond the extremity of said first-mentioned bristles, parallel wires extending through said handle certain of said wires being slidable in said handle, said slidable wires turned in a direction parallel to said first mentioned bristles, the ends positioned in slots formed in said bristle holders.

2. A tooth brush comprising a handle having brlstles secured at one end thereof, a wire extending through said handle at a point adjacent to said bristles, said wire having ends turned in a direction parallel with said bristles, a pair of opposed bristle holders pivotally mounted on the ends of said wire, each of said opposed bristle holders having slots formed in the surface opposite that in which the bristles are mounted and parallel wires extending through said handle and on opposite sides of said first mentioned wire, said last mentioned wires having their ends bent into parallel relation with the ends of said first mentioned wire and entering said slots, whereby said opposed bristle holders will pivot in parallel relation to each other.

ALFRED E. ZAVAGNO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,830,995 Genn Nov. 10, 1931 2,214,407 Deutsch Sept. 10, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 9,632 Great Britain Apr. 25, 1902 302,119 Italy Oct. 12, 1931 

